Removing curing bags



Jan. 27, 1942. w. J. STRONG REMOVING CURING BAGS Filed March 3, 1939 5Sheets-Sheet 1 QQ Q Q w. J. STRONG REMOVING CURING mes Jan. 27, 1942.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 3, 1939 mnfui L//Eg JEAEQQ;

Jan.27,1942 w. J. STRONG 2,271,405

' REMOVING CURING BAGS Filed March 3, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 5 46' 5 Ji-97 lZZn W.' J. STRONG nmovme'cunme BAGS Jan. 27, 1942.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ju -2221a. L//Zea J5Z2 0 177 410M;

Filed. March 3, 1939 Patented Jan. 27, 1942 REMOVING CURING BAGS whens.sttaaeta ogej alexomeassaia Ap lication time a, 1939; semi No; 25516 24This invention relates to the inethod'of annap paratus for removingenringibags from the'cas' ings of pneumatic tires;

131 the -manufaeture of pneu atie tire memes;

it isnsua l to enre or vu'loanize-the' casings with-in closed moldswhile the easing-is expanded fro'rn within by aneiipan'sible curing hasfilled with-air;

steam;- or hot water: Theremovaiof these cur in: bags after the tireeasing has he'enfremoved from the moldh'asrejquired cbnsiderable distor=ti ii ofthe bag and the easingeand the-exercise of considerable force.it has b een partieu1ar1y' diihtult heretofore to avoid'kinking of thebeads of the tires as the bags have been removed. The present inventionprovides for the removal of the hden e a s: U I

Chief ;objects of the invention areto provid ii'nbroved protection tothe tire; and especially bead portions; during hag ;remova1,: t-;pi"dtide for quickly and securely gripping thebag for bags from thecasings b-y improved procedure" removal without injurythereto; and'ftoprovide" these results by speedy operation.

Other 6163 i I of the easing to proper jaosition'for removal-of the bag;aiito'rnatie-ttithdrawahof ;the. bag-to inake i bssible effective r a1 r1ova1 witl iout be'ad sliieadets to nrotide adjnstab'rlity to tirecasings of idifieie'nt sizes, andto effeet economy of effort, aec'urayof adjii stment; and ratibfi: W1; ,1.

. These and other olojedts wi;11 appearfrom the following descriptionand the accompanying 1 showing the front part of the apparatus to alarger sea-1e, other parts being'broken away. x Fig. 5 is a detail viewOf't'he easing feeding mechanism, parts being broken away.

Fig. $3 is a detaiL sectional View taken on line -6- of Fig. 3'; partsbeingbroken. away.

w 1 91 E11? n ent e ra er vide for automatic holding v of the easingwhile the bag is Withdrawn therefrom, g-antornatic" rotationfacility (if0p F-e. 21s a sectarian ietatimi tithe emyt gh svt'ith; the bag; pullerbeing shown in its'most 1 Fig: '9' is a: detail view of oneof theelectric switcheswhich' controls the hag,grippingjavsfs. Fig; 10 4s a;diagrammatic view showing the easing; the gripping jaws and the bag atthe start of the gripping,operation'with the eerie spondingpositionjof'the grip control switch:

t Fig: 111s a "similar'view atan advanc'edstag; Fig; 12 is a similarView at a further advanced stageshowing the bag being removed:

Referring to the drawings, the bag pulling means is supported from-astationary frame hav ing stanchions I0, I I; I'2',;I 3 at the front endof the apparatus; and stanchions; l4 -and l5 at the rearendofthe-apparatus; stanchions l0 and II and stanchions I3 and 5 beingattached 'respec-, tively to sheet metal vertical walls It and 11, andth stanchions being further connected to each othgr b y cross members18, I9; and 20 at the front gfithe maehine; cross members 2| and 22 atthe hacl; of the appa ratus and longitudinal rnemhers iji and Z4'at the;sides of the apparatus and fastened to the Walls l6 and 1! respec- Thetire-supporting-- mechani$m: may vbe modntedypon a --seeond :frame Islidably mounted 95 a} moyernent upon the stationary frame andcomprising a pair of vertical members 25 and 26. conneetedtogether atthe topby a cross mem her 1:! and-at thehottom by a cross member.28,-the rne'ijribers 25 and-26 being adapted to slide a lon'g stanehions II)and 3 and between cross members l8' and I S at the tQD of the 'stationa;ry name t e lower. P F ivs fi qe im m s .5 a 2 5 bearing againsta-pair of stationary guides 29 and 3li fiiied to thestationary frame; i

' .Fdr raising'andiowering the movab1e frame w th respe ttq thestattnety frar'n'ef or the putpose of adjusting the ap ar us, to tirecasings qt different sizes a nd, to prbv e, f 0rsi1'c'h zertica1adjustment during the I eg} ulling Git-Bremen to.

igfets the faii initvfiieiit ,0; thehag pi illing ar firbtidedi a A pairtr vertially diseased reed sere'ws 3| and 32' are rotttabi? mounted inbearings at 34 fixed to the cross arms l8; l9 and in thrust hear ings35, 36 mounted on the stanchions l0 and I3; A pair of threaded'braekets' 31; as are fixed to the 'slidable frame and engage theseiews, the arrangement eeing sii n that their the screws alrei'otatefi'i'n' 1'1nisdn',-the' mo'vable frame is raised 0t low'erd; spfociiets3'9; 40 are fixed t6 the rlatgd-t the easing; the following mediascrewsand are adapted to be driven in unison by a motor 4I mounted on thestationary frame and having-a sprocket 42 in alignment with thesprockets 39, 40 and adapted to drive them through a chain 43. The motorM is reversible and is operated by hand from a push button switch 4I Apair of limit switches 44, 45 are mounted on the stationary frame memberI and are adapted to be operated by an arm 46 fixed to the sliding framewhen the frame reaches the limit of its travel so as to stop the motorautomatically.

Fixed to the movable frame is a pair of horizontal frame members 41, 48connected at their outer ends by a cross member 49. A pair of rotatableshafts 50, are journaled in bearings supported by the cross members 28and 49 of the slidable frame so as t rotatably support a tire casing andfor this purpose have spool shaped rolls 52, 53 fixed theretorespectively. A motor 54 is mounted on the slidable frame and is adaptedto drive the spool rolls in unison through sprockets 55, 56 fixed to theshafts respectively and connected by a chain 51, a sprocket 58 fixed toshaft 50, a sprocket 59 fixed to the motor shaft, and a chain 60 trainedabout the last two named sprockets. Motor 54, normally active, may bestopped automatically by a switch 93 having an arm 64 projecting throughthe tire 65 when the tire is on the spool rolls by contact of the valvestem 69 of the bag 61 within the tire casing, the arrangement being suchthat as a tire is rolled into the apparatus from the right side of Fig.3, this rotates the tire in the bag pulling position until the valvestem is located at a position remote from the path of action of the bagpulling arm, whereupon the stem contacts with and opens the switch 63stopping rotation of the tire.

To permit the tire casing to pass the switch arm 64 in entering-themachine, the switch is rotatably moimted on a vertical axis on the arm98 fixed to the sliding frame and may be rotated in one direction fromits normal position, bycontact with the tire against pressure of atorsion spring 69, its return movement, when released, being limited toa stop I0.

To provide for supporting the tire casing laterally against displacementwhen it is resting on the spool rolls, a rectangular frame 'II ispivotally mounted near its four corners to four bellcranks I2, I3, I4,I5 fixed to horizontal shafts I6, I'I pivoted on the sliding framemembers 25, 26. A link I8 pivotally connects the opposite ends of bellcranks I2, I4, and a similar link I9, similarly connects bell cranks I3,I5. A worm gear 80 fixed to shaft 17 meshes with a worm 8I fixed on ashaft 82 adapted to be rotated by a crank 83. The arrangement is suchthat frame 'Il may be adjusted laterally with respect to the tire casingby parallel motion.

To support tires of different sizes against lateral pull of the bagpuller, a pair of right and left threaded feed screws 84, 85 arerotatably mounted on the frame 'I'I. Sprockets 86, 81 are fixed theretorespectively and are connected to rotate in unison by a chain 88. Avertically ex-,

tending roller 89 is rotatably mounted on nuts 90, 9| threaded to engagefeed screws 84, 85 respectively. A second roll 92 is similarly mountedon nuts 93, 94 similarly threaded on the other ends of the feed screws.The feed screws may be rotated by a wheel 95 fixed to screw 85. Thearrangement is such that rolls 89, 92 may be adjusted toward and fromeach other across the frame II and parallel to each other. By thisadjustment the rolls 89, 92 may be moved to positions with relation toeach other and to the tire such that the near bead portion of the tirewill be effectively braced and will not be bent excessively orpermanently by the outward force exerted against this portion of thetire when the bag is pulled out of the tire between the rolls 89, 92. Ihave found that for many sizes of tires the apparatus describedfurnishes adequate protection to the beads, and it has the advantages ofvery speedy operation, it being unnecessary to manipulate clamping orother protective devices for the tire beads.

To provide for holding the tire casing against lifting when in bagpulling position, apair of horizontal frame members 96, 91 are fixed tothe sliding frame. Guide rails 98, 99 are fixed to and extend verticallybetween the frame members'96, '91 and the frame members 41, 48. A crosshead I00 is slidable vertically along the uide rails. A ratchet rack INis fixed to the guide rails.v A dog I02 is pivoted at I03 to thecross-head and has a tooth I 04 integral with the dog and above itspivot adapted to engage in the rack, and an arm I05 also integral withthe dog and adapted to rest on the top of the tire. A double-actingfluid pressure cylinder I06 is mounted vertically on the slidable frame.Its piston rod I0I is connected to a flexible cable I08 extending overan idle pulley I09 pivoted at the top of the frame and down over asecond guide pulley.I I0 pivoted upon the frame to an anchorage III onthe dog. The guide pulley H0 is so located that the pull against the dogI02 is in a direction to unseat the tooth I04 from the rack I IIIwhereaswhen the cable is slack the dog will drop along the slide untilcontact of the arm I05 with the tread portion of the tire casing willcause the tooth I04 to engage in the rack and prevent upward movement.

For feeding tire casings to the machine in succession and for ejectingthem therefrom, the following mechanism is employed. A gravity conveyorII2 extends from the source of supply of tire casings containing curingbags to a position adjacent the apparatus previously described. A stopII3 is located nearthe delivery end of the conveyor and is adapted to beprojected into the path of the tire casings, which are advanced layingon their sides, or to be withdrawn therefrom by a double acting fluidpressure cylinder II4. A similar cylinder II5 controls a clamp H6precedent in the path of travel of the tires and adapted to engage thetire casing following the one stopped by the stop II3 by clamping itagainst the conveyor. The arrangement is such that by alternating themovements of the stop and the clamp, the assembly acts as an escapementto feed the tires intermittently from the conveyor.

As the tires reach the end of the gravity conveyor they drop off one ata time in on edge relation where they are supported laterally by a fenceH1, H8 on either side. They rest upon a runway II9 ready to be pushedinto position on the spool rolls. A horizontal cylinder I20 mounted upona stationary post of the frame of the machine is adapted to actuate apusher I2I whereby the tire may be pushed from the runway II9 to aposition where it rests upon the spool rolls.

After the curing bag has been pulled from the tire casing, the casing isejected from the machine by a fluid pressure cylinder I221, the pistonrod of which carries a roller I22 adapted to en-v gage the tread of the.casing from below atan'.

angle acute to. the vertical and to exert a. force upwardly and in thedirection of movement of the casings.

The mechanism for withdrawing the curing bag from the casing is as.follows; Mounted on: the inner side of the wall I1 of the stationaryframe is a set of guides I23, I24 defining a channel I25 and a set ofguides I26, I21, defining another channel I28. Similar guides aremounted on the opposing side of wall I6. A bar I335 extends between thewalls with one end located in channel I25 and its opposite endlocatedinthe opposite channel I29. A second bar I36. has. one; endguided in channel I28. and its opposite end guided in theop ositechannel: I36. The ends of the bars carry anti-friction collars whichride. in the channels. Fixed to the bars I35, I36 is a tubular arm I31which is preferably'of rectangular cross-section. The arm I31 is driveninits bag pulling movements by a motor I38 mounted on the stationaryframe, the motor drives a horizontal crank shaft I39 through agearedjspeed' reducer I40, a sprocket I4'I on the speed reducer,a-sprocket I42 fixed to theshaft I33, and a chain I43. A crank arm I44is also. fixed to one end of shaft I 39* and is pivotally connected, asat I45, by a slotted lost motion connectionMfi to ap-itman I41 which ispivotally connected to the bar I36 as at I48. A similar crank HEB isfixed to the other-end of shaft I39 and is pivotall-y 'oonnected as atI56, to the bar I36 by a similar pitman' Iii-I through a similarlost-motion connection I552. The. arrangement is such that as thesh-afj;I39- is rotated by the motor I38 in the direction indi-- cated by thearrow in Fig. 2 the arm'i31-is given an oscillating movement endw-iseand also vertically by reason of the contour of the'fg'uide channels Thelost motion connections of the pitmans provide for permitting theforwardj-end of the beam todrop when the bar I36 reachesia verticalportion of the guide-channels at the extreme end of the travel of thebeam to the rigl'it of Fig. 2, and to permit the beam to-dwell at thelowered position While its gripping jaws are engagingthe curing bagbefore the beam starts its. upward movement; I

- Slidably mounted within the arm I31, for

movement longitudinally thereof, are. a pai-r oftongs I54, I55 eachhaving a downwardlyextending'jaw I56, I51 for gripping'a curing bag.

A-lug I58 on tong I55 extendsthrough an elongate slot I59. in arm I31and is fixed to a piston rod I6E|attached to the piston Hit of a; fluidpressure cylinder I62, whereby the tong 155 may be moved back and forthalongthe arm. A-rack I63, 0n the tong engages a. pinion I54. fixed to-ashaft I65 rotatably mounted in a bearing I66 on arm I31, the pinionextending through a slot. in the arm I31 to engage the rack; A' similarrack I51 on tong I54 is similarly" engaged by a pinion I68 on a shaftI69 having -abearing I16 on the same arm. SprocketsIH, I12 fixedtoshafts I65, I69 respectively engage 'a chain I13 looped thereabout sothatv the shaft and their pinions travel in unison. The arrangement is'such that the tong jaws E56, I51 are simultaneousl-y moved toward andaway from each other.

To limit approach of the tong jaws toward each other, so as not toinjure the curing bag. by compression, 2. stop I14 is located within;the cylinder on a rod I15. The outer endof the rod is; slidably' guidedthrough a bifurcated bracket I516. fixed to arm I31 and is preventedfrom turning by a feather key I11 011 the bracket which engages a keywayH8 in the rod. This part of- The motor I38 which advancesand retracts.

the puller arm is energized by the closing of switch 63. The cycle ofmovement of the arm I31 takes place during one revolution of the crank.shaft. I39. To stop the crank shaft at the end of the cycle, a cam discI65 is fixed to the crank shaft and has a projection Iti6 adapted toengage and open a switch I81 in its path. A

brake disc I88 is. alsov fixed to the shaft and engages a band brake I89anchored to. the stationary frame. The brake is adjusted by a screw I90to drag constantly so as to tend to overcome over-running of the shaft.and to hold the shaft stationary againstrotation due to unbalanced.

gravitational force acting on the. beam I31. To

cause quick deceleration of themotor, a direct current dynamic brakecomprising a winding i385 incorporated in the motor; see Fig. 8, isenergized when the alternating current to the motor I:38 is shut off andthe: motor is to be stopped as. hereinafter described.

In operation, the arm I31 and its movablejaws may be controlledautomatically so as: to advance from its rearmost position to a positionWhere its jaws are Within thebead opening of the, oasing. During thismovement the jaws I56, I51 are adjusted to approach each other closely.The arm isthen gravitationallymoved radially of the casing with the barI36 within the vertical portion of the channels, andthe jaws enterbetween the beads of the casing and bear down upon the curing bag whichis depressed thereby as shown in=Fig. 1:0. The jaws are then opened andthe curing bag, due to its resilience rebounds into the spacetherebetwe'en as shown in Fig. 11. The jaws are then closed over thebag, gripping a considerable. portion of it as shown in Figs. 4 and. 12.The arm is now raised radially of the tire and is then retractedrearwardl'y pulling the bag from the casingwhile the latter is bracedand. its: bead portions protected by the rolls 89, 92, and depositingthe bag on the floor, at which point the jaws open and release the bag.

Whileth-e arm I31" is making its movements radial of the casing, thecasing itself may be raised or lowered by operating the motor 4-! toamplify the relative movement, as where the casing is of relativelylarge diameter.

Where manual-operation is desired as where casings of different sizesand shapes are to be operated upon in succession, the various fluidoperation, or to operate it step by step so as to performdifiicult bagpulling: operations without injury tothe bag or to the tire casing.

.-Where the casings are all of one size the valvesand switches maybecontrolled automatically at I It is possible with such an ar- ,rangementto stop the machine at any state of a saving of efiort. For this purposeI prefer the following mechanism. Located along the guide channel I25 isa contact switch I 92 adapted to be engaged by a projection I95 on thebar I35 to energize a solenoid I96 when the bar I35 passes it in adirection approaching the tire casing, and to de-energize it when thebar I35 passes it in the opposite direction. Solenoid I96 operates afourway valve I91 controlling the supply of pressure fluid to cylinderI06. The arrangement is such that as the beam I31 starts toward thetire, the hold-down I05 is lowered against the tire casing and as thebeam is retracted the hold-down is raised.

A switch I98 is located along the vertical portion of the channel I25.This switch comprises a pivoted arm I99 having an extension 200 hingedthereto, as at 20I so as to swing independently and freely thereon whendepressed in one direction and to move only with the arm when depressedin the opposite direction, independent movement of the extension beingresisted by a spring 202. The extension is adapted to be moved in eitherdirection by a stop 203 on bar I36. As the bar I36 drops down thevertical portion of the guideway stop 203 presses extension 200downwardly deenergizing the motor I38 and energizing the dynamic brakeI38 The same switch, on further downward movement of the bar I36,energizes a solenoid 204 of a fluid pressure valve 205, located on beamI31 and controlling cylinder I62 to cause the jaws I56, I51 to separate,as shown in Fig. 11 to receive the bag therebetween.

As the stop 293 passes beyond the arm I99, that arm is returned by aspring 206 opening the switch I98 and thereby deenergizing the solenoid204 to reverse the valve 205 to close the jaws I56, I51 on the bag. Atthe same time, the motor I38 is also energized by return of arm I99, tostart the beam on its return movement. As the beam is raised to withdrawthe bag the stop 203 passes the arm I99 by deflecting the extension 200without changing the electrical contacts, as seen in Fig. 12.

As the beam I31 returns the projection I 95 on the bar I35 throws theswitch I92 in the opposite direction causing the solenoid I96 to bedeenergized reversing valve I91 to raise the holddown I05 from the tirecasing.

Located at the left end of the channel I25, as seen in Fig. 2, is alimit switch I9I adapted to be operated by the stop I95 on bar I35. Asthe beam I31 nears the end of its retractive movement it contacts theswitch I9I which causes the jaws I56, I51 to separate and drop the bag.Thereafter the witch is released again closing the jaws as the beamcomes to rest by cam I86 contacting switch I81 to deenergize the motorI38 and to momentarily energize the dynamic brake.

The apparatus, illustrated in Fig. 5, for feeding tire casings into thebag pulling mechanism may be operated through solenoid controlled valvesby push buttons or switches conveniently located at the operatorsstation, or automatically controlled by the pulling mechanism.

For hand operation one switch may be used to advance and retract theroller I22 a second switch may be employed to advance and retract thepusher I2I to feed a tire casing at a time into the machine, and a thirdswitch may be employed to simultaneously raise and lower the stop II 3and the clamp II6. If desired, however, a switch 201 may be'located inthe path of tire casings ejected from the spool rolls and adapted toenergize a solenoid valve to advance the pusher I2I to place a newcasing on the spool rolls. Movement of the stop H3 and clamp II6 to feedtires to the pusher I2I may similarly be controlled by a valve operatedupon return of the pusher I2I either hydraulically or electrically.

Modifications of the invention may be made without departing from theinvention as it is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of removing a resilient curing bag from a tire casing,said method comprising advancing a pair of gripping elements into thecasing while the elements are held relatively close together a comparedto the width of the bag to depres the inner face of the bag in thecasing, separating the elements to permit the curing bag to recover fromits depressed condition and occupy a position between the elements,gripping the bag between the gripping elements, and withdrawing the bagby movement of the gripped portion out of the casing.

2. The methodof removing curing bags as defined by claim 1 in which theoperations are performed in step by step movements.

3. The method of removing curing bags as defined by claim 1 in which theoperations are performed automatically in 'a continuous cycle.

4. The method of removing a resilient curing bag from a tire casing,said method comprising advancing a pair of gripping elements axially andthen radially of the casing while the elements are held relatively closetogether as compared to the width of the bag to depress the inner faceof the bag in the casing, separating the elements to permit the curingbag to recover from its depressed condition and occupy a positionbetween the elements, gripping the .bag between the gripping elements,and withdrawing the bag by radial movement of the gripped portion andmovement of the casing in the opposite direction, and then moving thegripped portion axially to withdraw the remainder of the bag.

5. Apparatus for removing a resilient curing bag from a tire casing,said apparatus comprising means for supporting a tire casing againstradial movement, an arm having a pair of gripping jaws adjustable towardand from each other, means for advancing the arm and gripping jawaxially and then radially of the casing to enter the jaws between thebeads of the casing while the elements are held relatively closetogether as compared to the width of the bag to depress the bag in thecasing, means for separating the jaws to permit the bag to rebound to aposition between the jaws, means for closing the jaws to grip a portionof the bag, and means for moving the arm to withdraw the jaw and bagfrom the casing.

6. Apparatus for removing a curing bag from a tire casing, saidapparatus comprising means for supporting the tire in bag pullingposition including an adjustable frame and means thereon for blockingthe casing against radial movement in at least one direction, baggripping means movable into and out of the casing for withdrawing thebag, and means for moving said supporting means with the casing thereonradially of the casing independent of said blocking means.

'7. Apparatus for removing a curing bag from a tire casing, saidapparatus comprising a set of cradle rolls for receiving the tirecasing, means for driving the cradle rolls to rotate the casing topulling position, and means operated by rotation of the casing forautomatically stopping the vmovable frame with relation to thestationary frame during the pulling movement, and means cradle rollswhen the tire has reached a desired position.

8. Apparatus for removinga' curing bag from a tire casing, saidapparatus comprising means for holding a casing, a bag puller adapted tomove into and out of the opening in the casing and having a pair of jawsadapted to close over a portion of the bag to grip it for removal of thebag from the casing, and adjustable means'for limiting the movement ofthe jaws toward each other to prevent injury to the bag.

9. Apparatus for removing a curing bag from a tire casing, saidapparatus comprising a set of cradle rolls for supporting the casing atits tread face, means for gripping a portionof the bag and removing itby an initial movement radially of the casing, and means movable againstthe tread of the casing opposite the cradle rolls for blocking itagainst said radial movement.

10. Apparatus for removing curing bags from tire casings, said apparatuscomprising a set of cradle rolls adapted to rotate the casing to properposition, means for feeding casings in succession to said cradle rolls,means for pulling a curing bag from a casing supported by said cradlerolls, and means adjustable axially of the casing for supporting thecasing laterally against the pull.

11. Apparatus for removing a curing bag from a tire casing, saidapparatus comprising a stationary frame, a movable frame slidablymounted thereon, a set of cradle rolls on the movable frame adapted tosupport a tire casing from its tread face, means for engaging the bagand pulling it from the casing, means for moving the movable frame withrelation to the stationary frame during the pulling movement, and meanscarried by the movable frame and adjustable with relation thereto forsupporting the casing against the pull.

12. Apparatus for removing a curing'bag from a tire casing, saidapparatus comprising a. stationary frame, a movable frame slidablymounted thereon, a set of cradle rolls on the movable frame adapted tosupport a tire casing at its tread face, means for engaging the bag andpulling it from the casing, means for moving the carried by the movableframe and adjustable axially with relation to the casing for supportingthe casing against the pull.

13. Apparatus for removing a curing bag from a tire casing, saidapparatus comprising a stationary frame, a movable frame lidably mountedthereon, a set of cradle. rolls on the movable frame adapted to supporta tire casing at its tread face, means for engaging the bag and pullingit from the casing, means for moving the movable frame with relation tothe stationary frame during the pulling movement, and means carried bythe movable frame and adjustable radially with relation thereto forsupporting the casing against the pull.

14. Apparatus for removing curing bags from tire casings, said apparatuscomprising a set of cradle rolls, means for feeding tire casingssuccessively to a position on said rolls, a motor actuatedby a means inthe path of feed for driving said rolls to rotate the tire casing aboutits axis, and means pivotally mounted in the path of said feed anddeflectable from said path by a passing casing, said last-named meansbeing adapted to contact with the valve stem of the curing bag duringrotation of the tire to stop said motor with the stem inthe desiredrelation to bag-pulling means located adjacent the cradle rolls.

15. Apparatus for removing a curing bag from a tire casing, saidapparatus comprising means,

for supporting a casing without substantial deformation thereof fromannular form, means for gripping a bag and pulling it out of the casing,and means for bracing the bead portions of the casing against excessivelateral bending dur- 16. Apparatus as defined in claim 15 in which thesaid members of the bracing means comprise a pair. of elongated rollers.

WALTER J. STRONG.

